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Need help deciding on a clinic...

I

Itsross

member
Hey all, this is my first time posting on this forum, Iv spent some time scrolling through posts trying to find the answers to my questions but it's proving a difficult task so I'm hoping someone who knows what they are talking about can help me and prevent me from running around in circles which is what I seem to keep doing!

I'm 30 years old and have significant hairloss on my hairline and additional loss on my crown. I don't take any medication eg finasteride due to issues in the past.

I have been trying to research clinics which seems to be a minefield...
I have been in touch with one clinic "DHI global" who called and went through the DHI method which they use. I`ve researched this method online and read some positive things, I'm not sure if anyone else has any experience or knowledge of this method?
Iv also looked as the Hair DR in Leeds which seems to be positive, as well as clinics in Turkey which are regularly mentioned on these forums which claim to use the DHI method, although I see that that has been disputed on this forum.

So pretty generic questions I apologise but if anyone with more knowledge could give me some insight I would really appreciate it.

Thanks
Ross
 
B

Baldingman23

Valued member
Hi Ross it’s good to see you are doing research before jumping into a HT. I spent 8 years researching before I had mine done in July this year.
Things you need to consider.
Whereabouts are you from and is travelling something you are happy to do?
What is your budget?
What Dr’s do you like the results from?
With no meds, you may not be able to keep your existing hair?
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hello Ross.

I`ll explain in easy to understand terms. Too much info can be overwhelming.

There are two types of hair transplant surgery used today. They are commonly known as fue or Strip but they may be known by other terms as below.

FUT, FUSS, or Strip - A strip of hair bearing skin is cut from your donor zone. It is then dissected up into follicular units ready for planting.

FUE, there are many variations to this name. It stands for follicular unit extraction and recently had another terminology of follicular unit excision.
A circular punch (most commonly used) is used to score/cut around an individual hair follicle/unit. These are then extracted by a person pulling them out with a set of forceps. There are machines that suck the graft out but I won`t go into any detail.
This is what the term FUE means. It is referring to how the hair is extracted. Once they are extracted, they are separated into their groupings ready for planting. Groupings are a graft that will contain either one 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 hairs, rarer 5 or 6 hairs. These grafts should then be placed in the correct areas. Mainly, the single hair grafts in the frontal rows of the hairline and temple points.

A company may call either of these procedures by a different name but basically, it is one or the other.

Some clinics have different methods of planting these hair grafts.

DHI no touch.
This involves the grafts being punched out via FUE as explained above.
Using forceps to pick up the grafts, they are loaded into the DHI implanter pen.
This pen requires no incisions to be made in the scalp prior to planting. The pen makes the incision and plants the graft in one single action. These pens are designed by DHI Global with only DHI clinics trained to use them. I don`t know if the pens have been copied and distributed to non DHI clinics.

DHI.
Any non DHI clinic who offers DHI is using some form of a Choi implanter pen. The grafts are extracted by the FUE method above. They are sorted and made ready for planting. With forceps, they are loaded into the Choi type pen. An incision/hole/cut is made in the scalp prior to planting. The pen is inserted into this opening and the graft is deposited/planted.

FUE.
As above. Grafts are extracted with forceps after they have been scored/cut around by a metal punch.

You will hear names such as Sapphire FUE, Gold FUE etc. These are referring to what they use to make the recipient incisions prior to planting.
You may hear ICE FUE. This is referring to the grafts kept chilled prior to planting which is standard practice in most clinics who actually know what they`re doing.

So the difference is, a DHI clinic uses the no touch technique, no prior incision, other clinics make an incision first which I`ll talk about in a moment.

Planting of grafts.
DHI no touch technique as above.
Choi type implanter pen as above.
Forceps. the graft is picked up with forceps and carefully inserted into a pre made incision.

Incisions.
Incision is the correct terminology. Some clinics will call them canals or channels but they are incisions.
DHI no touch. No incision as explained above.
An incision which can be described as a small cut or hole is made into the scalp at the same angle as the hair is expected to exit/grow
An incision may be made with a custom cut metal blade, a special needle, or a sapphire blade to name a few.
A bit like digging holes in the garden prior to putting plants in. Getting everything prepared.

Whichever FUE method is used the graft has to be pulled out of the scalp. These grafts have to be handled with forceps. With forceps, they are either loaded into an implanter type pen or inserted directly into the scalp via a pre made incision.

I hope this helps you.
 
I

Itsross

member
Thankyou for taking the time to post that informative response, it's saved me alot of time trying to workout exactly what happens and it's really helped me understand the different procedures, much appreciated.
From what you've explained, is DHI a better more efficient method? If so, why is this method only done by one company and not a common method if it works so well?

To answer the questions from the previous poster, I would be willing to travel to the moon for a reliable HT and would be happy to pay more for a good quality HT.

I had a consultation with DHI global but have received a couple of messages on here since posting from people who are apprehensive about them. They told me I need 4000 grafts, not sure if I'm allowed to put price but it was between £7199 and £7201

The hair Dr in Leeds has positive reviews on here as have a few clinics in Turkey which are commonly mentioned, the one with Emrah Cinik stood out.
I also had someone message me about a clinic in Belgium under Dr Christian Bisanga, looking at the reviews and people on the forum this seems a good clinic to consider also.
I'm not taking meds and unfortunately I'm not planning to either, I have used monoxidil in the past and didn't find it helped and hated having greasy hair even for a short time ( I disguise my hair using dermatch and nanogen fibres, I'm pretty much a pro at this now!) Finestride the sides are too familiar with problems Iv had in the past, I know most people are fine with it and dont have sides but because I have ongoing issues I wouldn't want to make it worse unfortunately, I know this could mean another HT in the future.
Thanks for taking the time to respond
Ross
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hello Ross.
DHI use to perform surgery by making incisions and inserting grafts with a Choi pen into pre made incisions. Then they developed the DHI no touch technique that eliminated the need for pre made incisions.
Most if not all other clinics still made pre made incisions. Most clinics were still using forceps to place. Within the last few years, advancements with different types of implanter pens have made it easier and some would say more efficient for this part of the surgery.

Clinics/doctors have their own preferences and methods they prefer. It`s my opinion that whichever method is used you should get a good result providing the doctor and staff are experienced and competent at what they do.

A tool is only as good as the person using it.

One person's experience with a clinic may not be the same as the next person's. Everyone should make their individual choices. Every patient will have different expectations and results will vary due to their individual circumstances.

When you consult with clinics you can ask them how they plant their grafts and what is their reasoning for using that particular method.
 
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